Anorexia and bulimia – What is the difference? | Anorexia

Anorexia and bulimia – What is the difference?

Anorexia and bulimia are very similar in the psychological aspects, e.g. in terms of body perception and self-esteem. However, the diseases differ in the underlying eating behavior. In the case of anorexia, a dietary restriction and/or massive physical activity leads to weight loss, and the disease therefore inevitably leads to underweight in the longer term, which is a diagnostic criterion for anorexia.

Patients with bulimia, on the other hand, suffer from veritable eating attacks in which many times the required calorie intake is ingested. As a result, those affected take measures to avoid gaining weight, such as vomiting or laxatives. Bulimia therefore does not necessarily lead to underweight, but for other reasons it has harmful consequences for the body and psyche of the patient. It is not uncommon for anorexia and bulimia to merge, as the triggering factors are similar. You can find more detailed information under: Bulimia

What is classic anorexia?

The classical anorexia nervosa is defined by the consciously induced weight reduction in the context of a psychological body perception disorder. This weight reduction can be brought about in various ways, resulting in different manifestations of anorexia. The most common is simply reduced food intake.

Other patients vomit after eating or use laxatives. Excessive physical activity also leads to weight loss. Many patients use several weight-reducing methods at the same time.

Epidemiology

The precursor to an eating disorder, that restrained eating behavior, regular dieting or even the regular use of laxatives for weight control, are very common in the population. Nearly 23 of all young women state that they frequently take weight-regulating measures or are on an almost constant diet. However, the full picture of anorexia nervosa (anorexia) is seen much less frequently.

With a ratio of 12:1, women suffer from anorexia nervosa much more frequently than men. In the age group of 15-30 years the probability of developing anorexia is about 1%. The probable age for a first disease is about 15-17 years. Typical risk groups are dancers (especially ballet), photo models and competitive athletes (e.g. horse jockeys). In 50% of the cases anorexia nervosa (anorexia) anorexia precedes bulimia nervosa (bulimia).